


Princes will be Princes

by Bryler



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Best Friend Cuddles, Boys Will Be Boys, Camping, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, High School, Hugs, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Tears, Tickle Fights
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2018-10-09 16:39:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10416477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bryler/pseuds/Bryler
Summary: Fights, hugs, pranks and shoulders to cry on...It really doesn't get any better than the brotherly bond between these boys.Excerpt:"So...you really kinda scared us...refusing to wake up for that long.""...I'm okay now.""...Have you been able to sleep much? ...Since yesterday, I mean?" Prompto glanced briefly at his friend again. The dark circles, the red-tinged eyes, the drooped shoulders—he probably hadn't even needed to ask."...A little." Prompto knew that was code forno.Noct's breath hitched ever so slightly. It was clear he had been trying desperately to keep that from happening. But, finally having someone there with him...it just ignited an unexpected anguish again. His eyes pinched shut and he brought a hand up, digging a thumb and finger into his lids, forcing them to keep anything threatening to escape in."Hey," Prompto reached over, laying a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. "...It's okay."The slight compassionate human touch was enough to do Noct in. He drew in a shuddering breath and reached his other hand up to grasp Prompto's shirt, clinging to it for dear life.





	1. Nact, the lone virgin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter summaries:  
> Chapter 1....Noct discovers he's the least "experienced" of the group; can't believe Prompto never pointed that fact out.  
> Chapter 2....Noct refuses to get up in the morning; suffers ticklish consequences.  
> Chapter 3....Prompto comforts a distraught and lonely Noct in Altissia.  
> Chapter 4....Prompto reads about Noct's engagement in the news; Ignis gets distracted and lets Noct drink too much.  
> Chapter 5....Noct and Prompto team up to prank Ignis while fishing. Ignis is not amused.  
> Chapter 6....Prompto braves a school dance alone, trying to get a feel for his identity without Noct. Wears a cute beanie.
> 
> This first chapter takes place during the boys' very first campout together. It was partly inspired by the brief snippet of Gladio and Prompto wrestling in the tent in the Duscae demo.

 

"Oh...wow, it's...not very big, is it?" Noct asked, peering inside their recently pitched dwelling.

"Let's see," Prompto said, squeezing past him and plunging inside. He sprawled across the center, flopping his limbs as he tossed and turned, getting an adequate feel for the space.

"I should have plenty of room for a good night's sleep," he determined. "And it still leaves a corner for you," he pointed, "a corner for Iggy," he said, pointing again, "...And let's face it, Gladio's just gonna have to sleep outside..."

Noct snorted as Prompto went on, "But I think we'd all sleep a little better knowing he's out there guarding the entrance, right? Especially since, you know, that would mean he's not _in here_ , taking up ninety-five percent of the space..." he muttered, having lost the prince's attention mid-rant.

"What's that about sleeping outside?" Gladio's gruff voice questioned as he finished circling the tent, giving each of the stakes one last go-over.

"Oh, nothing!" Prompto replied, flipping to his back as he drew his arms up to rest on. "Noct was just saying he'd feel a lot safer if you spent the night outside. You know, guarding the entrance...since you're the shield and all...the very...large shield," he muttered. "Right, Nact?" he added, hoping for some back up.

Noct stopped rummaging outside for a moment. "Prompto," he couldn't help letting a hint of a laugh escape, despite trying not to humor his friend. "What is that? It's so stupid."

"No, it's nat, it's funny." Prompto had taken to an annoying habit of changing up his vowels in words lately. Mostly because he thought it was funny, but even more so because he knew it would eventually get a rise out of the others.

"What was that about sleeping outside, again?" Gladio asked, throwing the flaps open and stepping inside.

Prompto immediately flinched at his approach, instinctively drawing his arms down and legs up in defense. "Nothing, it was—Agh, Nact! Haaalp!"

Noct snickered as sounds of Gladio squashing the life out of his friend erupted from the tent. "Sorry, no can do, Pram," he said, emphasizing the 'Pram.' "I thought you'd have noticed by now the 'large shield' isn't actually made up solely of muscles. He also has fairly well-working ears."

"Well...he must...have...selective hearing then...otherwise he'd hear he's killing me—mmph!"

"Or he doesn't care," Noct offered, peering inside briefly. Prompto was indeed having the life squashed out of him, caught in a headlock and completely smothered as he was.

"Mm mahn meeve" Prompto said, tapping Gladio furiously.

"What's that? 'Tighter, please?' Sure thing, buddy." Gladio said, unrelenting.

Prompto let out a muffled curse and managed to partially unobstruct his face for a brief moment. "I can't _breathe!_ " he exclaimed, gasping.

Gladio reluctantly let up after a moment, allowing the blond to squirm away from under him and scramble to his feet, still gasping for air.

"Geez, lose some weight, heffy," he said, rubbing his neck, "Gaaaash."

Gladio swatted at Prompto's leg as he hurriedly exited the tent, causing him to tumble through the entrance flaps and all but face plant in the dirt.

"If anyone had to sleep outside, it'd be you, you know," Gladio explained. "You're officially outranked, you come last in seniority rights, and you have zero physical clout."

Prompto scoffed indignantly, pushing himself to his feet once more. "Yeah, but _I_ have the most pull with Noct. That's got to count for something, right? Right, Nact?"

"Prompto, that is so stupid," Noct replied, not glancing up from the supplies he was going through.

Gladio snorted. "You think _you_ have the most pull with the prince? That's debatable. Who's been bossing him around for the last fifteen years?"

Prompto scoffed. "Yeah, but does he ever listen to you? All _I_ have to do is ask nicely, and he comes through every time. Right, buddy?"

"I don't even know what you two are arguing about, but as far as I'm concerned, whoever feeds me wins. I'm dying."

"Yeah, where's Jeeves?" Prompto asked, brushing the dirt off his clothes.

"Weren't you two supposed to be helping him at the car?" Gladio asked, sorting through what had already been brought up.

"I dunno, were we?" Prompto replied, glancing down the hill.

"Prompto," a tall figure stated as it suddenly emerged at the opposite entrance to camp. Prompto jumped a fraction. "If I hear you refer to me as a butler one more time..."

"Ignis!" Noct lit up at his appearance, as he stood and stretched. "Dinner plans?"

"The sooner you all stop monkeying about and actually start helping, the sooner we can eat."

"Hey, who got the tent up?" Gladio asked resentfully.

Noct felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out to check.

Prompto: Never heard Jeeves sound hangrier than you before  
Prompto: Also  
Prompto: monkeying about? lol wut?  
...  
Noct: Group thread, bro  
Prompto: huh? Oh  
Prompto: shti  
Prompto: *shit  
Prompto: how did that nat autocorrect?  
...  
Prompto: sidenote- I had to erase 'not' like 8 times to finally get it to say 'nat'  
...  
Noct: Seriously dude?  
...  
Prompto: side sidenote- Iggy did say if he HEARD me call him a butler  
Prompto: Technically he didn't hear anything  
Prompto: since you know...  
Prompto: texts are silent  
...  
Noctis: yeah, got it.  
Noctis: you're probably still sleeping outside  
...  
Prompto: >_<  
...  
Ignis: If you two are finished...

* * *

Noctis leaned back as far as his fold up chair allowed, arching his back as he stretched to his limits. Ahh, it felt good to be full for once. And Ignis' camping cuisine was surprisingly close to his non-camping cuisine: delectable and filling.

"That was really good. Thanks, Ignis," he said, lowering his arms.

"Yeah, thanks, Iggy," Prompto agreed as he, too, leaned back, satisfied.

"I'm glad you ate enough," Ignis replied, never very direct at accepting compliments on his cooking.

They sat in contented silence for a few, watching the endless sparks from the fire dance and weave through the air in an unpredictable flurry.

A while later Gladio spoke up, breaking the stillness. "So, Noct," he began, "...need any advice for the big night?"

"Hm?" Noct asked, glancing over, not bothering to lift his face from his fist.

"You know...the big night?" Gladio hinted again, a touch of amusement behind his voice. "I thought you might want a few pointers...seeing how, of the four of us...you're the only one who hasn't...you know..."

Noct's head lifted at that, his gaze immediately drawing towards Prompto once he caught on to what Gladio was saying.

He waited a beat for Prompto to refute the statement. But Prompto just remained where he was, staring at the fire, unmoving. The lighting was too dim, but Noct was certain had it been brighter, he would have noticed an immediate pink tinge to Prompto's ears.

"Wait, _what?_ " Noctis said, suddenly sitting straight up, his gaze boring into his best friend. "You're—you're not a—a—," he stammered in disbelief.

"A virgin?" Gladio offered, the amusement more than evident now.

Noctis was sitting up so much now, he was almost falling out of his seat. He kept his disbelieving gaze trained on Prompto, waiting for an immediate confirmation or denial.

"Since _when?_ " he exclaimed, taking Prompto's continued silence as an undoubtable confirmation.

Prompto shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know, dude..." he said, his voice riddled with guilt before shooting Gladio a peeved glance.

"Wha—" Noct said, still completely uncharacteristically lacking in composure. "Wha—" he couldn't find his words. "Why would you tell _him_ and not me?!" he finally settled on asking, pointing accusingly at Gladio.

"I didn't tell him anything!" Prompto said, shifting uncomfortably again and still refusing to meet Noct's gaze. "I don't know where he's getting this from."

"When?" Noct demanded. "With _who?_ " He knew Prompto had never had anything like a steady girlfriend.

"Wait, wait," Gladio interrupted gleefully, "Let me pinpoint the 'when,'" he said, thinking for a second. And then after a beat: "Summer after high school, right?"

Noctis looked from him to Prompto, still unable to believe what he was hearing. His best friend had kept something like _that_ from him?

Once again, no reply from Prompto, just another uncomfortable squirm.

"Iggy, you're the more observant one," Gladio went on, "When did you notice the shift from boyhood to manhood?"

Noctis' gaze whipped to Ignis. _He_ had known, too? What the hell!

Ignis didn't stir. He merely continued to gaze at the fire, his disinterest apparent. Finally sitting up straighter after a moment, he let out a small resigned sigh at the distasteful conversation. "Apart from your boisterous romp in the tent earlier, I haven't been privy to any other hints of sexual activity in the past," he said, unnecessarily sliding his glasses up at the statement.

All three turned to stare at him.

"Did...did Iggy just crack a sex joke?" Prompto asked, his embarrassment overtaken by disbelief for the moment.

"More like a gay sex joke. About you, dude." Noct couldn't help the sudden disbelieving laugh that escaped him.

"That was...a surprisingly good one, Iggy," Gladio snickered, too secure in his masculinity to ever get worked up by a gay quip.

"But it wasn't funny," Prompto broke in again, "I almost died earlier!"

"I'm just that good, aren't I?" Gladio smirked, and Noctis could have sworn he saw him wink.

"Alright," Prompto said, slapping his legs as he immediately stood. That was enough. "I'm gonna head to bed." He tried to make a quick and unassuming exit, but Noct immediately sprang forward, snagging his jacket and dragging him back.

"Oh, no, you don't," Noct exclaimed, as Prompto stumbled backwards in his grasp, tripping and nearly falling into his lap. Noct pushed him back to his chair. "Not until you fill your _best friend_ in. Seriously—what the hell?"

Prompto gave Gladio another irritated glance. This was all his fault. He ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "It wasn't anything, Noct," he explained. "Just...that summer...there were a lot of graduation parties and stuff going on...and I usually never go to shit like that without you, but you weren't allowed, and you were so busy with your prince duties, and I know you were struggling quite a bit with them at the time, and I didn't want you to feel like you were missing out or anything...and...apparently, chicks dig blonds." He shrugged, gathering his breath.

Noct just stared at him. "...Chicks dig blonds? That's all you have to say about it?"

Prompto merely shrugged again. "They were never particularly special or anything."

"'They?'" Noct asked. "...As in, more than _one?_ "

"Gah," Prompto said, immediately standing again. "I'm going to brush my teeth," he said, stalking away.

Noct stared after him, still at a loss.

"You think you know a guy, huh?" Gladio said, his smirk still plastered across his entire face. He had clearly enjoyed every second of that.

* * *

Noct flopped onto the floor of the tent, exhaustion quickly claiming him.

Prompto had gone to bed a while before the others, claiming an end position. His breathing light and regular, Noct tried not to disturb him as he stretched out next to him.

He mulled the earlier conversation over. He couldn't believe his best friend had seen some legitimate action in the past and had never even mentioned it to him. Wasn't that something dudes shared with each other? Noct wasn't exactly sure, now that he thought about it. He had zero experience of his own to speak of.

And now Gladio had planted a seed of apprehension regarding his upcoming wedding night. Completely unintentionally, of course, he thought sarcastically, snorting to himself. That ass.

He rolled over, the heaviness behind his eyes refusing to be ignored any longer.

* * *

"Noct. Hey, buddy," Prompto's close whisper was accompanied by a slight shake.

Noct blinked in the darkness, stirring slightly while trying to make sense of where he was.

"Sorry, dude, but I've really got to pee." A dim light suddenly flooded the tent as Prompto woke his phone up.

Noct blinked again. He found himself pressed solidly against Prompto, face half-buried in his back and arm draped listlessly across his torso.

He withdrew as quickly as his groggy state allowed. "Sorry..." he immediately said, a slight rasp to his voice, "Was I...?"

Prompto let out a whispered reassuring half-laugh. "It's okay, dude. I get it—no homo. Just glad I could keep you warm." He rolled onto his back and sat up. "We might need a blanket-statement 'no-homo' for the entire trip, actually," he said, eyeing Ignis and Gladio crammed together on the other side of the tent.

"Welp, I'm really about to pee my pants," he said, pushing himself to his feet and making his way outside.

Noct rubbed his eyes, grateful his friend had a talent of not making things weird.

He stretched and then sat up, looking for his shoes. He didn't like the idea of Prompto venturing outside alone.

After locating and pulling on his shoes and jacket, Noct quietly exited the tent. He grabbed a water bottle from the cooler and plopped down in one of the camp chairs, making sure he didn't hear any signs of trouble from whichever direction his friend had gone.

After a few seconds he heard light footsteps approaching.

"Hey, when you pee at night, don't ever leave the haven, okay?" he said, keeping his voice low.

"Geez, you scared the crap out of me!" Prompto exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice to a whisper. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just getting some water," Noct explained, offering the bottle to the blond.

Prompto gratefully accepted it, joining his friend in one of the chairs.

They sat in silence for a few as Prompto downed the remaining water. Wiping his face, he finally asked, "Are...are you mad about earlier?"

Noct pulled his shoulders in against the faint chill. "No, are you?"

"Why would I be?"

"I dunno...that was kind of a dick move of Gladio."

Prompto snorted faintly, "Yeah, but honestly, is it surprising?" He paused for a long moment. "Sorry...for not...mentioning anything in the past," Prompto offered, unsure of how exactly to apologize, or if it was really even warranted.

Noct just remained quiet in response. He hadn't thought he had been particularly bothered by it...but maybe he actually was a little bit.

When Noct didn't reply, Prompto continued, "I just didn't want to make you feel bad. Like you were missing out on any stupid teenage rites of passage or anything. Because, really, they are all quite stupid. I mean, not necessarily sex, or whatever, sex is pretty fun, but the partying and getting wasted and...I dunno, that was never really our scene."

"How did you end up amongst it all then?"

"I dunno, I guess I was a little lonely at times during that summer...They really drilled you, didn't they? We knew there would be a freakout of some sort after you graduated—the whole 'ahhh, what comes next for the prince?' phase."

"Yeah," Noct said quietly, trying to keep the bitterness from his voice.

"Anyways, I guess by initially trying to spare your feelings, I may have actually been pulling the more bogus move by not telling you sooner. Sorry...Nact," he said, staring at the ground as a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth once more.

Noct looked at him, a slight shake to his head. "Seriously," he said, unable to stop the slight grin stealing across his face. "So. Stupid."

"Ah, come an, you know you love it."

Noctis stood, willing himself to withhold the laugh threatening to escape.

"I'm stealing your blanket," he said, heading back towards the tent.

Prompto was quick to follow, "No, you're nat, I need it. Where is yours, anyway?"

"I dunno, still packed somewhere. And I'm switching places with you," he said, ducking inside the entrance, determined not to wake up in such a compromising position again in the morning. Gladio would never let them hear the end of it.

Prompto stumbled after him, his whispered voice rising. "No, you're nat! Nact!"

"It's what you get for all that 'Nact' nansense." Noct whispered, rolling into Prompto's blanket at the end.

"Naaaaact!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, I kept debating with myself whether or not Prompto would have made it to age 20 with his virginity intact. And despite all his adorable awkwardness, I'm of the opinion he wouldn't have.
> 
> Also, I apologize for the offensive language. I just think that four straight dudes traveling together would not be overly concerned about being PC with each other.


	2. Mornings are no laughing matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Gladio has to get creative to get Noct up in the morning...As with the first chapter, this one was also partly inspired by the Duscae demo.

"Ahhh, give it a rest, you guys, it's useless," Prompto said, exasperated, as he flopped back against the floor of the tent, rubbing at his face. "He's not getting up."

Ignis was sitting patiently nearby, watching as Gladio attempted to rouse the prince for the hundredth time, only succeeding in causing a slight shift of weight and another annoyed groan.

"Come on, Noct," Gladio urged again, giving his shoulder yet another brief shake. "We've already given you an extra twenty minutes."

The prince only attempted to roll even further away in response—which was difficult, seeing how he was already pressed as far against the wall of the tent as possible.

"Ugh, turn it off, please, Ignis," Prompto pleaded, referring to the blaring alarm. "It's clearly having no effect on him, and it's only a couple beeps away from giving me an aneurysm."

Ignis reached for his phone, silencing it. "He must not have slept very well last night. I thought I heard him get up at one point."

"Yeah, he was tossing and turning all over the place," Prompto explained, having bore the brunt of more than one inadvertent attack of flailing limbs during the night. "He smacked me in the face at three."

"Probably not an accident," Gladio said. "I was about to shove one of my socks in your mouth, myself."

"Huh?"

"You were snoring."

"I was not."

Gladio snorted. "'Kay. Whatever you say, Snorsky Mcgee."

"...Snorsky Mc... _what?_ " Prompto said, completely confused at the prospect of himself being a snorer and Gladio making such an absurdly unexpected remark about it.

Gladio turned his attention back to the prince. "Come on, it's time," he urged once more, willing himself not to lose his patience as he pulled the prince up yet again.

Noct just swayed, half-lidded eyes blinking heavily as he yawned for a moment before slumping to the side yet again. "Five more minutes," he mumbled.

Gladio sighed, his patience running thinner by the minute.

"Give it up, Gladio," Prompto said, holding his phone above him and tapping away at it. "It's no use. The tent could catch fire and he still wouldn't budge. I've found it's best at times like this to just sit back and relax with some video games and let him come to on his own in a few hours." He reached for a package of licorice nearby. "Oh, but don't eat too much of the leftover junk food, because if you're not in the mood for breakfast when he wakes, even if it's noon, it doesn't help his grumpiness any."

"We're not sitting around here until noon." Gladio stated.

Noct groaned. His way of telling them to shut up and stop talking about him.

"Hate to tell you this, but it looks like we are," Prompto said, tapping away at his phone and ripping into a piece of licorice.

Gladio thought for a second. "Hundred gil says I can have him up and ready for a brief training session in three minutes."

Prompto snorted. "Three minutes? You're on, dude." They'd had too many sleepovers for him not to recognize when his best friend was just not in a budging mood. This would be an easy win.

"I almost hate to resort to this, Highness," Gladio said, planting a solid poke into the prince's side, causing him to flinch involuntarily.

That caught Noct's attention. "Gladio," he mumbled, his voice thick with fatigue, "I swear to God, if you touch me..."

Gladio poked a couple more times, each eliciting another reflexive flinch from the prince. Noct swatted angrily at him, too groggy to land any actual blocking.

Ignis glanced up from his phone, hardly paying attention. Prompto continued to tear at the stale licorice, snickering. "I never knew Noct was ticklish."

"Oh, yeah. Deathly," Gladio explained. "Back when he was little and being a snot during training by refusing to participate, all I'd have to do is pin him down and tickle him until he either cried or peed his pants, and it would make him so mad, he'd immediately be up for sparring." He grinned. "Fond memories."

He poked again, easily evading Noct's slow and poorly-aimed blocks.

"Gladio..." Noct warned, his voice low.

"So easy to get a rise out of him." Poke. Poke. Poke.

That was it. Still too sleep-muddled to barely function, Noct launched a feeble attack at the bigger man. Which was probably the biggest mistake he could have made, seeing how Gladio had him down in half a second, completely pinned and restrained at the center of the tent.

Prompto barely managed to swing his legs out of the way. "Watch it!" he exclaimed, more fearful of them throwing off his current round in King's Knight than of crushing him.

Entirely immobile and face half-smashed into the floor, Noct had a pretty good idea of what was coming next. He made another weak and now fear-tinged threat. "I swear to God, I'll kill you, Gladio."

"Yeah?" Gladio asked, accepting the challenge. He landed several more pokes into the prince's vulnerable sides. "Let's see you try."

Noct's face screwed up, trying as hard as he was now to keep himself from giving Gladio the satisfaction of laughing. That piece of shit. That massive, heavy piece of shit. He couldn't move, there was no escape. He'd kill him.

"Come on, Noct, just let it out and I'll let you up," Gladio taunted, launching a full attack. Ah, why was it so fun to torment his weaker companions? It would never cease to amuse him. Was he a little sadistic? Yeah. Did he care? No.

"Gladiooooo," Noct wailed, unable to keep the laughter back any longer. That son of a bitch. "I—swear—you—are—so—deeeeahahaha—" he could hardly get the words out for laughing.

"There you go!" Gladio said triumphantly. "Now beg for mercy."

"Stop—stop!— _stoooop!_ " Noct knew the only person he could effectively appeal to at the moment, however, was his advisor. "Ignis! _Please!_ " He was the only one who could get the massive piece of shit off him.

"Come on, Noct, show us some tears!"

"Gentlemen," Ignis finally broke in, lowering his phone. "Can we _please_ commence with the day, for crying out loud?"

Gladio finally ceased his merciless attack on the prince, and after a few moments Noct managed to settle down. He lay there, exhausted and sputtering.

It was only a split second later, however, before the anger kicked back in and sprang him into gear. "Outside, Gladio. Right now." He didn't even notice he was shoeless as he stalked out of the tent.

Still smirking and more than completely amused, Gladio pushed himself up to follow. Before exiting, however, he turned to Prompto, still mostly immersed in his game, as a blind hand groped around the floor of the tent, searching for the package of stale licorice that had been knocked askew during the ruckus.

"I'll expect that payment by breakfast, Snorsky," Gladio laughed, throwing the flaps aside as he stepped out into the sunlight.

_Ah, son of a bitch_ , Prompto thought dismally, nearly breaking a tooth on the newly-found licorice as he made a mental note never to bet against Gladio again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet and succinct. I don't know why, but I find the idea of a ticklish Noct so adorable. And the fact that Gladio has absolutely no regard for boundaries just cracks me up. Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Altearssia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place shortly after the shitstorm in Altissia. And it's definitely a contrast to the first two chapters. This one's on the sad side. Still fluffy, but a little sad. Prompto POV.

Prompto drew up to the railing, figuring this was as good a resting spot as any for a bit. He gazed over the edge, watching the faintly glistening water sway gently.

It would have been beautiful. The day was mostly overcast, the temperature pleasant. Their circumstances: anything but pleasant. Everything was just so...completely...shitty.

He turned to glance at his companions slowly approaching. They had brought Ignis out for a walk...to get him more familiar with his cane.

He could hardly even look at Ignis now because it made him physically ill—not the sight of him, by any means (the shaded glasses did a decent job of concealing most of his wounds)—but the fact that he was now...damaged...irreparably. Proud, capable Ignis. The group caretaker. The group glue.

The sight of his friend, now slightly hunched and shuffling slowly along with the cane...Ahh, it just...

Prompto felt a faint prickling behind his eyes. _Don't do that, Prompto_. _Not now_...He took in a shuddering breath and blinked the threat of tears away. He really didn't want Ignis picking up on any signs of distress.

_Gotta keep the cheerful front up. Always gotta be the 'can't-be-beat' one. Right?_

Another stinging prickle behind his eyes—the threat stronger this time. He coughed and stood up straighter, hoping to distract the threatening water-works.

Gladio and Ignis stepped up beside him, a heaviness in the air about them.

Gladio sighed, leaning against the railing. "Have either of you been in to see Noct yet today?" he asked after a moment.

Prompto cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn't betray him when he replied, but Ignis beat him to it. "I was in with him earlier..." he said.

"How's he doing?" Gladio asked tentatively.

"...As expected," Ignis replied. And after a moment: "...He asked about you, Prompto."

Prompto slowly looked over, surprised his heart was capable of sinking even lower than it already was.

"Have you not gone to see him yet?" Gladio asked, turning towards their younger companion.

"...No, not yet," Prompto replied, his tone heavy with guilt.

"He woke up yesterday morning—what are you waiting for, an invitation?"

"I dunno. Sort of." Prompto couldn't bring himself to shrug. His shoulders felt too weighed down.

"Prompto. You're his best friend," Gladio admonished. "He needs you right now."

Prompto exhaled. "What if he wants to be alone?"

"He's _been_ alone."

"What if I say the wrong thing? I don't know what to say. Grief is so far out of my comfort zone. It's not even on the radar of my comfort zone...and...and this is Luna we're talking about...You guys know how crazy he was about her..." His head drooped as he took a step back from the railing, leaning forward heavily against it.

"Prompto, you're overthinking it," Gladio replied. "Just go sit with him for a little while, you don't even have to say anything."

Prompto folded his arms across the rail, dropping his chin to rest on them. He didn't reply, just continued to watch the glittering water. It seemed so blissfully unaware that everything was so wrong with the world now.

"Besides," Gladio continued when Prompto didn't respond, "You're a lot better with situations like this than you think."

Prompto wasn't sure where that vote of confidence had come from, but he appreciated it. Appreciated and doubted it.

"Go on," Gladio prompted. "I'll help Iggy back."

Prompto exhaled again. Straightening, he pulled out his phone.

Prompto: You awake?  
Noct: Yeah  
...  
...  
Prompto: You up for a visitor?  
...  
Noct: You don't need to ask

"I'll...I'll catch you guys later, then..." Prompto said, lifting a listless hand in parting.

* * *

 

Prompto quietly approached Noct's door. Pausing for a moment, he lifted a hesitant hand. Should he knock? That would require Noct to call out an invitation in. And what if he was too distraught to do any 'calling out' of the sort at the moment?

_Gah, I am way overthinking this,_ he realized.

He settled for the knock/peek in. "Hey," he said, peering inside. He spotted Noct across the way, sitting cross-legged on the bed, flipping through pages.

"Hey," Noct said, glancing up at him. Something about his body language—the closing of the book, the sitting up straighter—lead Prompto to believe Noct was indeed pleased to see him. He let out a small relieved breath and stepped inside.

He slowly approached the bed, trying to indiscreetly take his friend's appearance in. Dark circles under his eyes, hair uncharacteristically unkempt—although freshly showered, it appeared. He looked so small and alone at the moment; there was such a heavy sadness about him. Prompto felt his heart threatening to sink past his belly button now. He couldn't take all this despondency. It was physically hurting him seeing his friends like this.

Noct scooted to the edge of the bed and Prompto sat beside him. They both stared at the floor for a moment.

"So...you really kinda scared us...refusing to wake up for that long."

"...I'm okay now."

"...Have you been able to sleep much? ...Since yesterday, I mean?" Prompto glanced briefly at his friend again. The dark circles, the red-tinged eyes, the drooped shoulders—he probably hadn't even needed to ask.

"...A little." Prompto knew that was code for "no."

Noct's breath hitched ever so slightly. It was clear he had been trying desperately to keep that from happening. But, finally having someone there with him...it just ignited an unexpected anguish again. His eyes pinched shut and he brought a hand up, digging a thumb and finger into his lids, forcing them to keep anything threatening to escape in.

"Hey," Prompto reached over, laying a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. "...It's okay."

The slight compassionate human touch was enough to do Noct in. He drew in a shuddering breath and reached his other hand up to grasp Prompto's shirt, clinging to it for dear life.

"It's okay, buddy," Prompto said. He instinctively knew what Noct needed at that moment, and also knew he'd never initiate it for fear of being too intrusive. So Prompto took the initiating upon himself. He pulled Noct toward him, wrapping both arms tightly around his trembling frame.

Noct's grip tightened even further on Prompto's shirt, and he buried his face against his chest.

The sobs were mostly silent, but each shuddering breath against him threatened to tug one of Prompto's heart strings to its snapping point. Prompto squeezed his own eyes shut at the physical pain it caused and rested his cheek against Noct's shoulder, holding him fast.

They sat like that for a long time, Prompto patiently waiting for the shudders to reduce to quivers, until finally, Noct trusted himself to draw back.

"Uggghhh," Noct said, his voice steadying a bit as he rubbed at his eyes. "Sorry...I thought I was done with that..."

"Pretty sure the whole 'shoulder to cry on' thing is an actual and legit stipulation of the best friend agreement," Prompto replied, offering a small sympathetic half-grin.

Noct let out a much steadier breath, a hint of gratitude behind his exhale.

"You want to try napping for a bit? You could probably use the rest," Prompto offered.

It was a moment before Noct replied. "Yeah...maybe so," he paused again for a second. "Only...would you mind...staying for a little while?"

Prompto was a little surprised by that. Again, one of his heart strings was so dangerously close to being severed. Ahh, why had he been too scared to be there for his best friend until now? The loneliness had clearly been unbearable for him. He was kicking himself vehemently inside.

"Yeah, sure, no problem," he quickly replied. He wasn't sure how, but he instinctively knew that when Noct asked him to stay, he didn't mean in one of the chairs on the other side of the room. He needed him close. He climbed up on the bed and over Noct, propping the pillows against the headboard on the other side.

He pulled his phone out, not minding the freely-offered downtime at all while keeping his despondent friend company.

And it wasn't long before the exhausted prince was unwittingly drawn to Prompto's warmth nearby. He rolled to his side, nestling against him, the resulting comfort found there calming his unsteady breathing.

Prompto glanced down at him for a moment. He looked so young. So tired. So...lost, in a way. Ahhh, he'd had to sacrifice so much. His life had never really been his to live. And now it was in complete shambles. And Prompto hadn't thought it could get any worse after Insomnia...

Noct...Iggy...Luna...

Prompto leaned his head back against the headboard, staring intently at the ceiling. His breathing suddenly took on that familiar achey raggedness. _Uggghh...At least Noct isn't awake to see it_...he thought in resignation, as he finally allowed the tears to spill over, running in crooked patterns down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sniff* Sweet Prompto...


	4. Something borrowed, someone blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I kind of just completely let this chapter do its own thing...This takes place just before the beginning of the game. Prompto POV.

Prompto sighed. Groping around for the remote, he flipped the tv off in annoyance. As usual, there was nothing on on a Saturday. And daytime tv was the worst anyway.

He sat up, stretching for the ceiling as a yawn escaped him. He wasn't tired. He couldn't be tired. He was bored. Soo very bored.

He hated these Saturday meetings they'd been making Noct attend lately. He probably hated them almost as much as Noct did, in fact. It meant he had absolutely nothing to do during the day.

...And it also made him realize he'd become somewhat co-dependent on Noct over the last few years. What did he even do with his time before they were friends? Oh, right...sat at home alone doing nothing. Like he was doing now. Ugghhh.

He pushed himself up and made his way to the fridge. He'd overcome his whole 'eating out of boredom' issues a long time ago, luckily. But something to drink might be nice. He grabbed a low cal sports drink and made his way back to the couch.

Swiping his phone off the coffee table, he figured he might as well do some mindless browsing. He brought up his main social media app, checking some notifications. He quickly found it only increased his boredom, however.

Switching to a news app, he brought his drink up for a swig...and upon seeing the main headline sprawled across the top of the page, he proceeded to spew his drink half-way across the room, coating the coffee table with a sheen of purple speckles.

What. The. Hell...?!

Had he read that right? He skimmed the headline again. And then for a third and fourth time. There was no mistaking it—he'd read it right.

He set his drink on the table, spilling a good portion in his haste. Fumbling through his contacts, he quickly found Noct and punched the call button.

_Ring...ring...ring...click._

His call was denied. Oh, right. Noct was in a meeting. He was about to bring up their text thread when a message suddenly came through.

Noct: Sorry, can't talk  
Noct: Still in a meeting  
Prompto: W  
Prompto: T  
Prompto: F  
Prompto: IS IT TRUE???  
Noct: ?  
Prompto: Dude  
Prompto: THE NEWS  
Noct: Oh  
Prompto: Oh?  
Prompto: ???????  
Prompto: ???????????  
Noct: We'll talk after  
Noct: Can you come here? I might not be back to my apt for a while  
Prompto: To the citadel?  
Noct: Yeah  
Noct: Oh and maybe wear a suit  
Prompto: ?  
Noct: They're doing some congratulatory party thing this evening  
Prompto: Oh  
Prompto: Ehhh  
Noct: Please  
Noct: I'm gonna be dying  
Noct: Please  
Noct: Please  
Noct: Please  
Prompto: Dude I don't have anything to wear to something like that  
Prompto: Plus  
Prompto: I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact you're effing GETTING MARRIED  
Prompto: WTF  
Prompto: And dude  
Prompto: Why did I find out about it through the news????  
Noct: Look just come here as soon as you can  
Noct: I'll explain everything  
Noct: I'll have Ignis get one of my suits for you  
Prompto: Ehhhhhhhh.......  
Noct: Don't be lame  
Prompto: A fancy get together with all the council members and high society phonies.....  
Noct: It won't be that bad  
Prompto: I dunno dude  
Noct: Come on  
Noct: You owe me  
Prompto: Lol no I don't  
Prompto: And I just FOUND OUT ABOUT YOUR ENGAGEMENT THROUGH A SHITTY NEWS APP  
Prompto: I OWE YOU NOTHING  
Noct: Just get your ass here by this evening

Prompto hesitated, wondering if he had anything more to add to the conversation. Deciding he didn't, he turned the screen off and tossed his phone to the side.

What. The. Efffff.

Noct was engaged?! To Lady Lunafreya of Tenebrae?!

_What?!_

He just sat there for a moment, stunned, as a million thoughts tumbled over each other through his head. An arranged marriage?! Why?! How did Noct feel about that? Had he had any say in it? Had Luna? He's only twenty...! Should he have congratulated him? Should his congratulations be sincere? Again, he's only _twenty..!_

He thought they'd have at least five to ten more bachelor years ahead of them to enjoy...

Noct was getting _married...?_

He just couldn't process it.

He decided the best way to handle the situation at the moment would be to turn his brain off with some video games. He'd try to sort through his own feelings on the matter later. When it all had a chance to sink in a bit more...

Hours later, eyes numb and bloodshot from staring at the screen, Prompto still couldn't bring himself to think about the day's earlier news.

He just...

He hated being selfish, but he couldn't think about it without immediately wondering what it all meant for _him_. And he couldn't help but feel that was extremely unfair of him to do. Noct was probably reeling from the news just as much as he was. He should be more concerned for his feelings on the matter, not his own.

He just needed more time for it to sink in. More time to convince himself it didn't mean their friendship would be over. That it didn't mean he'd never see Noct again. That he wouldn't be numero uno in Noct's life anymore...

He slumped lower into the couch, capping a few more zombies ruthlessly in the head.

Was he actually upset at the news of his best friend's engagement? Was he really that selfish of a person?

_Stop thinking about it. You can't berate yourself for being a selfish bastard if you just stop thinking about it._

Ugghhh...

He slumped to the side, sinking into a pillow, the game forgotten for a moment. _Just turn your brain off...Don't think about it for now...Just stop thinking..._

* * *

A loud knock at the door suddenly drew Prompto from his unintended nap. Pushing himself up groggily, he rubbed his eyes, wondering what time it was. Wiping the drool from his face, he grasped around for his phone.

Upon locating it, he was surprised to see it had been on silent. He was about to unlock the screen when a call suddenly came through from Gladio.

"Hello?" His voice sounded hoarse.

"Prompto? Are you asleep? Open your damn door, will you? I've been knocking for the last five minutes."

"Huh?" Prompto said, stumbling through his confusion as he made his way to the door.

He unlocked it, letting an impatient Gladio in, who abruptly ended the call.

"Geez, you're turning into Noct," he said, stepping inside.

"Huh?"

"Don't know how you guys stand wasting so much time sleeping."

"What are you doing here?"

Gladio swung the garment bag he'd been carrying into Prompto's chest. "Here, put this on. I'm here to pick you up."

Prompto flinched a little, grasping the bag, his confusion only mounting. He noticed Gladio was dressed more sharply than usual. And he could guess what was inside the bag.

"Noct figured you were planning on skipping out on his little engagement party," Gladio explained. "And he said if we have to suffer through it, you do, too. Woes of being part of the wedding party."

"Gladio," Prompto interrupted, wishing he'd slow the hell down. "What—why—" He wasn't sure what to settle on asking first, so he went with: "When the hell did Noct get engaged?! And why am I the last to know about it?!"

"Ah, I'll let him go over all the details with you," Gladio replied. "I'm not too sure what the hell's going on myself. I only found out about it yesterday. I think Noct only found out the day before...I'm not sure what the hell the Empire's got in their minds..." He paused briefly. "I just know Iggy chose to stay behind to make sure Noct doesn't overdo the drinking, and I was sent here because I'm the more 'persuasive' of the two of us. So, put the damn suit on so Noct will stop texting me asking where the hell his friends are and why we aren't there to save him." He took a breath.

The empire was behind it...?

"...You deaf?" Gladio asked when Prompto didn't move. "Go change." He gave him a push. "Hurry."

Prompto stumbled upstairs, waking his phone as he made his way to his room.

Four missed calls from Noct as well as several texts.

Noct: Are you here?  
Noct: I had Ignis pick a suit out for you, it's on my bed  
Noct: Are you coming?  
Noct: Hello...?  
Noct: Sorry you had to read about it on the news. Please just come, this is unbearable.  
Noct: Prompto?

Prompto shut the screen off again, his stomach twisting slightly with guilt. He hadn't meant to ignore Noct. And now he'd gone and made it look like he was butthurt about the whole thing. Which, in truth, he slightly was. But he wasn't going to be a goddamn girl about it. He brought his phone up again.

Prompto: Sorry  
Prompto: Passed out this afternoon  
Prompto: Be there soon  
Noct: YESS FINALLY  
Noct: BRO  
Noct: U ARE THE BEST

Okay, so Noct was already inebriated. Prompto almost snickered, imagining how Ignis must be handling the situation at the moment. Maybe this party wouldn't be all that bad. Drunk Noctis was usually quite amusing.

* * *

Prompto stepped foot out onto the roof terrace of the citadel, eyes wide and fingers unconsciously flexing for his camera. He was glad he'd remembered to bring it with him. He'd only been up there a few times before, but each visit never failed to fill him with the same awe and eagerness at the sheer beauty of it. Thousands of twinkling lights, the calming trickling of endless water features, and the three-sixty degree view of the glittering city—it was breathtaking.

He'd been a little concerned about the camera at first—and he actually had been stopped by one of the crownsgaurd a few minutes ago in the hall, demanding to know if he was a member of the press. Fortunately, he could honestly claim he wasn't, and luckily he had Gladio with him, who easily waved the dude off, hardly paying him much mind. It was nice having connections.

His earlier distress forgotten for the time being, Prompto found himself immediately snapping away at the scenery. And the dignitaries conversing in small clusters. He could even overlook the abundant air of pretentiousness, since most of the haughty figures made for decent subject material.

"Prompto!" Noct had finally spotted him and was waving him over to his corner by the railing. Prompto made his way over to join him.

"Prompto," Noct said again as he approached, a wide smile on his face. He beckoned him closer, till he could throw an arm over his shoulder. "I was just telling so-and-so here," he said, gesturing to the party guest who had been offering her congratulations, "'Here comes my best man now!'"

"Yeah, buddy," Prompto said, smoothly unhooking Noct's arm from his shoulders, while grabbing his champagne glass in the same fluid motion. "I finally made it," he said, setting the glass aside as the woman gave them a snooty half-curtsy in parting. "How has Ignis not cut you off by now?" he muttered.

"What do you think?" Noct asked, leaning back heavily against the rail.

"...About this whole thing?"

"About being my best man!" Noct laughed. He usually ended up so uncharacteristically giggly when he was drunk.

"Oh! ...You mean as in the best man, best man?" Prompto asked, as Noct's request finally dawned on him.

"Were you hoping be the maid of honor? Sorry, dude, you'd have to take that up with Luna," Noct said. And then proceeded to laugh at his own, what he thought hilarious, remark.

"Well...I mean," Prompto clarified, as Noct leaned back, giggling at the stars, "wouldn't that be better suited for...someone like Ignis?" he said. And then a beat later: "And why are we even talking about this?" he asked, not liking how far Noct was leaning back. He grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. "Can't we _talk_ first?" he demanded. "You know, about _what the hell is going on?_ "

Noct was half-ignoring him, looking around for his champagne glass. "Here, dude," he said upon locating it. He shoved the glass into Prompto's hand. "Drink this. This is a party, after all, right?"

Sure, it would be nice to take the edge off the whole situation. But at the moment, Prompto actually preferred a clear mind. He still had a lot to sort through.

"Ignis!" Noct exclaimed exuberantly as his advisor approached from across the way. "Look who finally showed!" he said, flinging his arm around Prompto's shoulders once more, throwing his weight into him.

"Prompto," Ignis nodded a greeting upon joining them.

"So, uh, what happened here?" Prompto asked, tilting his head briefly toward the prince.

"I've been preoccupied with chatty guests all evening," Ignis replied, clearly flustered. He took the champagne from Prompto, wanting to get it as far away from the prince as possible.

"Where's Gladio?" Noct asked, looking around unsteadily, causing Prompto to readjust his stance once more. "We just need Gladio now."

"Ignis," Prompto said, removing Noct's arm from him again and guiding it to the rail. He stepped towards the taller man, blocking out Noct. He was hoping to have an actual, sober conversation. "What is this? What's going on?"

"This," Ignis gestured, "is the Prince's engagement party." There was a note to his tone that suggested he found the whole thing...questionable as well. Prompto might go so far as to say he found it ridiculous, even. Although it was not his position to ever outright say so.

"Yeah, I'm aware," Prompto retorted. "...Are you as confused as I am?"

Ignis sighed, adjusting his glasses. "I'm not yet fully briefed on all the political implications behind it. The news is still fairly recent to me as well."

"Gladio was saying the empire's behind this...?"

Ignis gave a reluctant nod. "One of the stipulations of their peace negotiations."

The empire wanted peace? What?

"...Peace negotiations?" Prompto's brow furrowed. "Since when?"

"Earlier this week," Ignis replied. "The chancellor of Niflheim arrived, seeking an audience with the king."

Prompto remained silent for a moment. The whole thing seemed so sudden. So out of the blue...

The sound of Noct suddenly thudding against the floor drew both their attention. He'd slumped to his rear, flopping carelessly to his back.

"Highness?" Ignis said, taking a quick step toward him.

"I can see them better this way..." Noct replied.

"...See what?" Prompto asked, stepping towards him as well.

"...The stars..." He had a faint half-grin on his face.

"Man, how'd you let him get so wasted?" Prompto asked, looking to Ignis.

"Believe me, it wasn't my intention," Ignis said, exasperated, as he stepped in front of the prince, hoping to block him from view. "Highness, there are still guests present."

"Maybe it's time for the guest of honor to take his leave?" Prompto suggested.

"Past time, I think," Ignis agreed. "Let's get him to his room."

* * *

Ignis and Prompto helped the prince to his massive bed, which he promptly toppled into face-down.

"Ughh," he groaned, the earlier giddiness having worn off.

They both stepped back to survey him for a moment.

"What do you think, Iggy? Ready for married life?"

Ignis gave a rare half-snort. "Indubitably." And after a moment he continued, "I'd best go entertain the last of the guests until the evening's over," he said. "Are you staying over?"

"Oh, uh, I dunno..." Prompto didn't want to get too caught up in all the hectic goings-on the citadel was sure to be dealing with the following day. Wedding plans (seriously, wedding plans?), political perplexities, a hung-over prince...

Ignis didn't wait for a solid answer as he backed out of the room. "Kindly see he makes it to the toilet," he said, closing the door behind him.

Prompto gave a derisive snort upon Ignis' exit. Of course Noct would get wasted off his ass and everyone would leave the mess up to him. Not that he minded taking care of his best friend, but he had so much on his mind to sort through...It would be nice to be home in his own bed where he could clearly contemplate everything... There sure was a lot to contemplate.

"Prompto," Noct said, his voice muffled by the comforter.

"Yeah, buddy."

"Prompto," Noct said again.

"I'm right here, dude," Prompto said, stepping forward to sit on the edge of the bed.

Noct lifted his head, the effort seeming great. "Oh good, you're still here."

Prompto snickered faintly. So unlike Noct to be goofy. "Yep. Still here."

Noct forced himself to roll to his back. He stared at the ceiling for a long moment. "So...I'm getting married."

"Yeah, I heard."

" _Married_ , dude."

"Yeah. I heard." Prompto repeated. "Well, more like I _read_ about it, actually. Remember?"

"Read?"

"In the news," Prompto offered.

"Was it in the news?"

"Dude. Yes, of course it was in the news. I told you earlier. It will continue to be in the news for the next..." he paused. "Wait, _when_ exactly are you getting married?" he asked, surprised he hadn't bothered to find out from Ignis earlier.

"Soon," Noct replied. "...You'll be my best man?"

Prompto hesitated. Noct was probably not currently capable of holding the type of conversation he was desperately hoping to have, but what the hell, he'd try anyway. "Noct...what do you think about the whole thing? Did they even ask your input? Are you...okay with marrying Luna? I mean, I know you're fond of her and everything, but hasn't it been at least...ten years or so since you last saw her? And...I mean, dude, you're only twenty!"

Noct was silent in return.

"Look, maybe I'm the only one in my right mind freaking out about this whole thing...but you're my best friend, and I just want to make sure...I just want to make sure you're okay..." He didn't really know how to word what he was trying to say. And he still hadn't had the proper time to process the whole thing and filter his thoughts. He hoped he wasn't too out of line.

Again, Noct was silent for a while. "You're...definitely not the only one freaking out..." he finally replied.

Prompto looked to him.

"I mean, yeah, I'm 'fond' of Luna...I might even go so far as to say I love her, I dunno. As strange as that sounds...I mean, not having seen her in a while...but...we've stayed in touch all these years..."

Prompto stayed silent, hoping he'd continue.

"I dunno, I was just starting to finally get the prince stuff down...And now...," he paused for a moment again. "Things change so quickly..."

_Change._ The word left a bitter note in Prompto's mind.

They sat in silence for a long time. Finally, Prompto slapped his thighs, readying to stand. "Well, buddy, I guess we can talk more when you've sobered up. Although, I think tomorrow might be a little rough for ya," he offered a sympathetic half-laugh.

"What? Where are you going?" Noct asked, pushing himself to his elbows.

"I better head," Prompto replied.

"You're not staying?" The disappointment was clearly evident in his voice.

"It's getting late, dude. And you're gonna have so much crap going on tomorrow."

"So?" Noct asked, pushing himself fully upright now. "You _have_ to stay!" he exclaimed. "We have to stay up all night. We still haven't beat Zombie Slayer 4 yet. You have to eat a crap ton of junk food with me to help ward off a hangover. You have to help me to the toilet when I puke!"

_Who knows when we'll be able to do it all again..._

So, the thought had clearly crossed Noct's mind as well. A sad half-grin spread across Prompto's face.

"...Okay, buddy," he said.

Noct relaxed ever so slightly at his best friend's acquiescence.

Prompto paused briefly. "...But...let me grab the wastebasket first real quick. Just in case we don't make it later..." He would have offered a quick wink, but decided to turn immediately away instead, flinching ever so slightly at an unexpected stinging behind his eyes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know how this ventured into Sad Prompto again! I'm fully blaming the latest teaser for his DLC. Gah...Kills me.


	5. Fishin'anigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enough Sad Prompto for now. Time for a little lighthearted fun at Ignis' expense. :)

Noctis cast his line out for the hundredth time, hoping his luck might finally take a change for the better. The fish were being annoyingly stubborn. And according to Gladio, so was he.

Gladio had been ready to get going on their planned hunt a good half hour ago. But Noct was insistent on circling the pond, and now that he'd finally made it back to pier, he wanted to give it just one more go. Okay, maybe two or three. Or ten, whatever.

He glanced over his shoulder to where he'd last seen his shield. _Oh good_ , he thought upon laying eyes on him. He was still lounging on the small grassy hill not too far away. Only now his face was literally buried in his book. He was snoozing away, the open hardcover draped over him, providing the perfect shade for napping.

This could potentially afford him at least another half hour of fishing time, Noct realized. Excellent.

He briefly scanned their surroundings once more. Ignis had gone back to the car a little while ago; Noct hadn't caught what for. And Prompto...he looked around. Who knew what Prompto got up to when the extreme boredom of watching Noct fish kicked in. He was probably off hunting for frogs or lizards again or whatever he had mentioned he'd caught the other day.

A sudden small splash immediately drew his attention back to the pond. He quickly searched for any emanating ripples from the jumping fish.

_Ah ha_ , he thought, spotting them. _Alright, you little bastard, I know you're out there_. He geared up for another cast, hoping his aim stayed true.

Bingo. Right where he hoped it'd land. Now for the stubborn turd to just go for the lure...any second now...He bobbed it around a bit, hoping to catch its attention.

_Come on. What gives?_

A sudden announcement of fast approaching footsteps on the pier behind him caused Noct to jump. He barely had time to turn in surprise before a blond blur rushed past him, flinging itself off the end of the pier.

Noct flinched as he was sprayed by the resulting splash.

"Prompto!" he exclaimed angrily as soon as the blond head reappeared above the surface. A slew of delighted laughter answered in response.

"What are you doing?! You're scaring the fish!" Noct accused, annoyed.

Prompto snorted. "Dude. What fish? You've been at it for over an hour now. Face it, they just don't like you here." He swatted a stream of water at the huffy brunet.

"Gah!" Noct shielded his face a fraction too late.

Promto snickered. "Besides, it's a much better day for swimming than fishing. It's not even eleven yet and I'm already dying." He'd stripped down to just his pants, enjoying the coolness of the water as he kicked out onto his back.

Noct pressed his lips together, watching him for a moment. He willed his temper to subside. The guys had already given him over an hour of peace, which was quite rare. Especially for Prompto. And he supposed it wasn't really fair of him to hog the water all day.

He was about to dismiss the fishing rod when Prompto suddenly brought his feet under him again, quickly standing as something off in the distance caught his eye.

"Dude, dude, dude," he said, voice dropping, "Iggy's on his way back down." He pulled half his weight out of the water, leaning against the pier's end as he reached for the rod. "Here," he said, grabbing for it.

"What?"

Prompto grasped the lure. "Give me some slack," he said. "And pretend like you've got a big one on the line."

"Watch the hook," Noct warned, "Don't stick yourself."

"I got it," Prompto said, waving him off. "This is gonna be funny," he laughed. He ducked down behind the pier, waiting for Ignis to come nearer, then took a deep breath and disappeared under the surface, firmly grasping the end of the line and kicking up dirt to add to the murkiness of the water.

Noct had a pretty good idea of how this was going to go over...but, yeah, he had to admit it might be too funny to pass up.

He drew the rod this way and that a few times, feigning a struggle.

"Iggy!" he called over his shoulder, turning to glance briefly at his approach. "I've got a big one on the line I've just about reeled in! A little help?"

He heard the approaching click of Ignis' shoes on the pier behind him. Noct grunted, pulling at the rod.

"What would you like me to do, Highness?" Ignis asked at his side.

"Grab that net there," Noct instructed, tugging hard to the right. He was surprised Prompto was doing a pretty good job of making the struggle appear plausible.

Ignis grabbed the net, kneeling at the edge of the pier. A crooked grin appeared on Noct's face as he watched.

Just as Ignis leaned towards the water, an explosion seemed to occur right beneath the surface. A lean blond figure burst upwards with a shout, arms raised towards the prince's unsuspecting aide.

Ignis didn't exactly yell, he was too dignified, even in a moment of utter alarm. But he did jerk back with a start, his feet tangling as he tripped over Noct's fishing supplies. Had he fallen directly backwards, he would have been fine—perhaps suffered a bruised backside is all. The angle he ended up falling at, however, was diagonal to the pier, and he toppled over the side, back first, landing with a very undignified splash in the water.

He emerged a second later, gasping and sputtering, glasses askew, face aghast.

Prompto and Noct lost it. Noct doubled over, his breath completely stolen away in a series of bewildered laughs, as Prompto was lost in a similar fit, pounding the water with his fist as he clutched at his side.

"Goddamn—Iggy—" Noct exclaimed between gasps as he practically sank to his knees. "You weren't supposed to _fall in!_ "

Ignis brushed his hair back, straightening his glasses as he waded through the chest-deep water back to the pier's edge. "What a clever little stunt," he deadpanned, as the two younger men continued gasping for breath. "I'm delighted you find it so amusing." It was very clear he was actually anything but delighted.

"Gladio!" Prompto called between bouts of laughter. "Grab my camera!"

Noct straightened a fraction as Ignis reached the edge, offering a hand as he tried to calm down somewhat.

Ignis nodded his thanks as he reached for the offered hand, clasping it firmly. But instead of allowing Noct to pull him upwards out of the water, he suddenly tugged harshly backwards, pulling the unsuspecting prince over the edge towards him.

Noctis let out a startled shout just before plunging in. He emerged gasping a moment later.

" _Ignis!_ " He yelped indignantly, completely taken by surprise at his advisor's atypical retaliation. "What the _hell_ was that?!" He pushed his dripping hair back, glaring, his breaths coming in short spurts at the unexpected chill.

Prompto was now dealing with a renewed fit of hysterics. "Gladio!" he shouted once more between bouts. "My—camera—please!"

Ignis ignored them both as he pulled himself onto the pier, his dress shirt plastered to his lean frame, a suspender dangling free at his waist.

"Nooo!" Noct suddenly exclaimed in distress. "My _phone was in my pocket!_ " He held the dripping device up, horrified.

"As was _mine_ ," Ignis seethed, straightening to his full height as he replaced the suspender.

Prompto was still giggling madly away, his faltering breath indicating the laughter had become almost painful at this point.

Gladio had finally joined the scene, camera in tow as requested. Glancing at each of his companions in turn, he settled on asking: "Do I need to blister some butts, Iggy?"

"Just get the shot!" Prompto urged, splashing forward. Oh man, it would be such a shame not to capture that moment for time and all eternity.

Ignis had already started stalking away, ignoring all of them as Gladio complied and brought the camera up. He lifted a blocking hand as he passed him, rolling his eyes as Gladio clicked away.

Noct approached the end of the pier, mournfully setting his phone on its surface as he braced himself against the planks. He was about to pull himself up and out when he suddenly felt arms close about his waist, gripping tightly. He was immediately hoisted up and backwards, once again dunked headfirst in the water.

He struggled, disoriented for a moment before righting himself and emerging once more, completely fuming. " _Prompto!_ " He shouted, entirely unamused as he swatted at the younger man who was reaching for him anew.

"Come on, Noct, let's play some water games!" Prompto exclaimed enthusiastically.

Noct ignored him, turning for the pier. He had barely made it two steps before Prompto was on him again, practically climbing on his back as he caused the brunet to dip beneath the surface a second time.

His last ounce of patience completely diminished, Noctis emerged again, blinking the water from his eyes and turning a fiery gaze on the blond.

He advanced threateningly towards the younger man, and Prompto held his hands up defensively, a playful laugh escaping him. "Come on, Noct, let's play 'Marco Polo!'" he teased.

"I'm not playing any of your lame-ass games, Prompto!" Noct fumed. "It's your fault my phone's a worthless brick now!"

"Aw, come on, don't be that way," Prompto couldn't keep from grinning, even though he knew his friend was legitimately irate. The whole situation had just been too funny.

"Come on!" he exclaimed as Noct pulled himself up onto the pier. "Marco!" he called.

Noct wrung his shirt out, ignoring him.

"It's probably a good thing you didn't catch anything," Gladio said, addressing Noct as he brought the camera down. "It would have been a waste anyway," he further explained, "seeing how Iggy's definitely going to be on culinary strike tonight. Nice work, numbskulls."

Noct shook his hair out, still ignoring them both. He bent to retrieve his phone before stalking away.

"Come on!" Prompto tried in vain one last time, an amused smirk still pulling at his mouth. "Marco!" he called.

"Shut _up_ , Prompto!" Noct retorted, not bothering with a backwards glance as he threw a brazen finger up in parting.

Prompto pushed out on his back, completely pleased and snickering to himself. That had turned out _much_ funnier than expected.


	6. Spring Fling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Prompto-centric chapter takes place during their senior year of high school.

Chewing slowly, and lost in thought, Prompto dropped the remaining half of his burger and leaned back, crumpling his napkin in his fist.

He thought he'd be starving after spending the entire afternoon at the library and arcade, completely snack-free, but he was starting to get anxious, and anxiety always killed his appetite.

It wasn't anything to get super anxious about, really. He just couldn't make up his mind to save his life.

Go to the dance, or go home?

He definitely knew what he _preferred_ to do. Go home, all the way. There was no chance Noct was going to be able to join him, despite telling Prompto he'd try. Or "try," rather. Prompto knew there was no way Noct would actually make it a priority of getting permission and working out an escort with the palace officials. Though to be fair, Prompto had only suggested the possibility of going that morning at school. He hadn't given Noct much notice.

And he didn't really even know why he was still considering going alone. It would be boring and lame at best even if Noct came, but without him, it would be torture. He'd just be sitting there alone on his phone or awkwardly people-watching. Dateless, friendless...and suitless, he realized.

There was no chance of going home to change now, the dance had already started. It would take too much time.

He was still weighing his options when his mom's voice from the previous night drifted back to him for the hundredth time that day.

_"Why aren't you going, then?"_

_"Ugh, Mom, you know how I feel about dances. They're completely lame, for one thing. I don't have a date, for another. And there's no way Noct is gonna be able to go on such short notice, sooo, yeah, not going."_

_"Prompto, how much longer are you going to let your life revolve around the prince's agenda?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"You're graduating soon, and I worry you've let your high school years pass you by without fully experiencing them. You've been so tied to what Noctis can or can't do. Or what Noctis wants or doesn't want to do...I really think you'd actually enjoy a dance, if you'd only just go to one and see."_

_"Wha—"_

_"Prompto, you're the most upbeat and fun kid I know. You love people and excitement. It might be good for you to take a break from being the prince's buffer from the world for once."_

_"Mom—"_

_"I'm not saying he hasn't been a good friend for you. I think he's been a great friend, and you have, too. I just worry you've missed out on a lot of valuable memories and friends because you're afraid to do anything without him. Or because you're afraid he won't want to do something that you might actually enjoy. It's okay to do your own thing every once and a while. And no one said you can only have one close friend."_

_"Mom, I know—"_

_"And after graduation, how much time will you be able to spend with Noctis? Will they be shipping him off to university right away? Or will they give him a gap year to become more involved in the politics of the palace?"_

_"...I...don't know...?"_

That. Right there. That was the real source of the anxiety that had been tugging at his nerves all day.

Prompto stared at the sorry, squashed, half-eaten burger.

How often _would_ he be able to see Noct? It wouldn't be daily like it had been for the last several years, he knew that. But at least multiple times a week, right?

His stomach groaned uncomfortably.

Ugh, he didn't feel like thinking about that right now. It was making him feel a little ill. What he needed to think about was if he really ought to appease his mother by at least making an appearance at the spring fling.

He really didn't want to. He hated dances. Didn't he? Or did he merely think he hated them because Noct wouldn't be caught dead at one?

Had he really become that co-dependent on his best friend over the years?

Either way, he knew he would feel stupid if he went. Still in his school uniform. Without a date.

He sighed.

He supposed it wouldn't kill him. Show up, awkwardly wave to a few familiar faces, drink some punch, go home, and tell his mom he definitively does not like dances.

He wadded up his unfinished meal and slung his bag over his shoulder.

He might not be able to go home to change, but come to think of it, a suit might be overdressed for a spring fling anyway. He really had no idea.

He stopped in the restroom and rummaged through his bag. _Please tell me I remembered to throw a comb and hair product in here._ He had meant to do so that morning, just in case he ended up going to the dance.

But nope, of course he didn't remember. Son of a B. He sighed once more, meeting his eyes in the mirror and taking in his disheveled hair. There was no salvaging it without at least a comb.

He took one last attempt at rummaging through his backpack and came across a rumpled beanie in the front pocket. Figuring anything would look better than the current state of his hair, he pulled it on.

Hmm, it looked weird with his clean cut uniform. It needed to be, like...dressed down a little or something. He ditched the tie and undid his collar. And pulled his tucked shirt out.

 _I dunno, does that work?_ His grasp of fashion was admittedly limited, and he suddenly felt really stupid for giving it so much thought. Noct would be smirking at him if he was there, trying to hold back a laugh.

_Yeah, well, not everyone has a team of stylists, or whatever, to dress them._

And Prompto didn't even want to know what Noct's haircuts would cost a non-royal.

_Ugh, this is so lame. Who knew one innocent dance would instantly turn me into a metro?_

He refused to look at himself again as he shouldered his bag and decided he might as well get this nonsense over with.

* * *

The dance was pretty much exactly what Prompto had expected. Cheap decorations and endless clusters of overly boisterous (even by his standards) kids with terrible dance moves. But at least there actually was a punch bowl. Yay.

Prompto dropped into a folding chair on the outskirts, sipping his second cup of punch and scrolling through his phone.

He really wanted to text Noct. He hating admitting it to himself, but he felt like a little kid missing their security blanket. Yep, he had definitely become overly co-dependent on his best friend. Life after graduation was going to be rough. But again, those were thoughts for another time, he reminded himself, as he felt another stab of anxiety in an already overly-anxious situation.

Yet at the same time...he didn't want to text Noct. He couldn't bring himself to for some reason. He felt weirdly like his being at the dance was almost a betrayal of sorts to his best friend. And he knew that was silly. But he didn't want Noct to feel left out in any way. Even though he knew his friend had zero desire to be there, and really wouldn't mind that Prompto had gone without him.

He couldn't quite figure out why he wasn't gushing about the lameness of this party and how much he was dying to leave to his best friend, but he just wasn't.

He supposed he really was trying to give the dance an honest chance before bitching about it.

Maybe it was good for him to do something on his own for once. Even though his presence there was exactly as pointless as he suspected it was going to be.

"Hey, Prompto!"

Prompto started at the sound of his name.

"Can I join you?"

He turned to see who was asking. It was a girl named Emma he'd known since fourth grade. Why on earth would Emma Kensley be asking to join him?

"Uh, yeah, sure," he said, hurriedly drawing his sprawled legs in and straightening from a slouch.

He couldn't recall the last time he'd spoken with Emma. They'd had many classes together over the years, and he was sure he'd made an idiot out of himself many a time in front of her before, but luckily he couldn't recall any specific instances at the moment.

He couldn't help noting how pretty she looked as she sat down with a loud exhale and a smile. She turned and met his eyes and he looked away quickly, feeling his cheeks color.

"I'm surprised you're here, you never come to stuff like this."

She was talking to him as if she was picking up a conversation they'd left off only hours or days ago. As opposed to who knew how long ago the last time they'd actually interacted was? Prompto was so confused.

"Did you come alone?"

Oh. He got it now. She was wondering about Noct. Of course.

"Noct couldn't make it," he said, turning away from her, his attention back on the dancers.

"Oh," she replied, glancing around briefly out of politeness. "I guess I hadn't noticed. Though I probably should have, seeing how rare it is to see one of you without the other." She gave a small laugh.

Prompto's brow furrowed ever so slightly. What did she mean, she hadn't noticed?

"I meant, did you come with a date?"

The furrow deepened. Why was she asking? Was she one of those popular girls that actually sought out losers at dances to rub their faces in their loser-ness? Was that supposed to be funny or something?

When he didn't respond right away, she went on, "I just don't want to be intruding on your date, if you brought one." She glanced around again.

"Uh..." So confused. "No, I...I came alone."

She relaxed a little and flashed another smile. Prompto couldn't help noticing the lone dimple on her right cheek. She really had a great smile. "Oh, good."

She smoothed her skirt and stretched her legs out in front of her. Prompto just sat there frozen-like, still clueless as to why this girl was talking to him.

"You know," she said after a moment, clearly skilled in avoiding awkward silences. "Ashlyn is about eighty-five percent convinced the prince is gay. But that's mostly because she's bitter he's never looked twice at her," she snickered.

Ashlyn was one of her best friends and probably the prettiest girl in school. If there had been a "spring fling queen" at this dance, Ashlyn was most likely to be it. He wasn't surprised she took it as a personal offense that Noct had never shown any interest in her.

That was a random thing to say. "Noct's not gay," Prompto said, surprised there was an edge of defensiveness to his voice. Not that he cared who thought Noct was gay or straight or bi or whatever, he didn't. But he was so bugged by people talking about Noct behind his back and spreading rumors. It was beyond old by now.

And suddenly it made sense. This was all just a ruse to get some inside info on the prince from his best friend. Prompto felt like such an idiot for letting even the smallest piece of information slip. He turned forward and slouched once more, wishing she would go away. He hoped his ears didn't look as red hot as they felt.

Emma prickled ever so slightly. "I don't get it, Prompto," she said, studying him. "Just because you're the only person Noctis has ever allowed to become close to him, really doesn't make you _that_ much better than everyone else."

His eyes darted towards her. _What?_

"You guys are always acting like you're gracing everyone else with your presence. It wouldn't kill you to interact with us lowly mortals every now and then."

Prompto just stared at her. "I...literally...don't understand a word you just said..." He glanced around behind him, half expecting to see the rest of her friends listening in and laughing. "Are you pranking me or something?"

She blinked at him, unmoving.

"Noct is just an extremely shy, nice kid hung up on a girl from his past." The words just tumbled out, unfiltered. "And I'm just a dorky, former fat kid who likes to run and take pictures."

Emma continued to stare at him, studying.

Prompto broke their locked gazes and slumped back again, arms folded. He was mad at himself for being baited into opening up to this stuck-up girl whom he hardly knew, and was convinced was only talking to him in order to use him in some way.

"Prompto," she said, her voice softening, "you haven't been chubby since the eighth grade."

He didn't reply.

She was silent for a moment longer, studying him further. "I think I have been wrong about you..." she said. "You're not stuck up, you really do just have a severe case of former fat kid syndrome."

Prompto looked at her. Was that supposed to be a backhanded compliment, or...?

"You know, Prompto," she went on, "If you weren't so blinded by your own warped self perception," she explained, "you might have noticed Ashlyn hasn't been able to keep her eyes off you since you walked in."

Prompto just stared at her.

"And you know what else?" The corner of her mouth pulled up slightly, revealing the faintest hint of that lone dimple. "That hat looks really good on you." She reached up and fingered his bangs for a brief moment. Then without another word she abruptly stood up and walked away.

Prompto just sat there, gaping.

What...the...hell was that all about?

* * *

The rest of the weekend passed uneventfully. Noct had had to spend it at the palace—prince duties becoming more and more involved as they were lately. Noct had hoped he'd make it back to his apartment early enough on Sunday for them to get together and game for half a day, but no such luck.

Prompto couldn't help replaying the bizarro exchange he'd had with Emma at the spring fling on Friday (he'd titled it the "Dance Dil-Emma" in his own head, hoping giving it a stupid title might make him stop thinking as seriously about it as he had), and he just could not make heads or tails of it to save his life.

He concluded she had been making fun of him the entire time. He thought. Right? The whole touching his bangs thing and hinting he looked good enough for Ashlyn to take notice had definitely been a sarcastic jab. Hadn't it?

_Duh, Prompto, of course it had._

Okay, now was that his normal inner voice chastising him, or was that his former fat kid inner voice? Because apparently, after extensively googling what Emma had mentioned, his former fat kid self was never going to allow him to have an adequate amount of self-esteem.

_You might not be fat anymore, Prompto, but who knows how long the running will keep the weight away? And you're still a loser, regardless._

Yeah, that was definitely his evil, former fat kid inner voice. He'd never really been aware he had two inner dialogues before. He was cool with the normal one, but the self-deprecating one might continue to be a problem when it came to his self-esteem.

_You think you deserve to think highly of yourself?_

Ugh, this inner conflict was so stupid. But not as stupid as Emma suggesting Prompto actually thought he was better than the rest of his peers. That actually caused him to almost laugh out loud when he thought upon it later. That _had_ to have been a joke.

Who in their right mind would honestly translate his social anxieties and low self-esteem into snootiness?

But you know, come to think of it, hadn't he kind of done the same thing with Noct all those years ago? He'd initially misinterpreted his shyness for being stuck up, and he'd been very wrong.

It made him wonder just how wrong he might be about all the assessments he'd made about his peers. And just how wrong a lot of them must be about hi—

The snap of fingers in his face suddenly jolted him from his wandering thoughts.

Noct snickered faintly. "Did you not sleep at all last night or something?"

Prompto's attention came back to the present. He'd been standing at his open locker, staring at the books he didn't feel like gathering for Monday's first class, when his thoughts just kind of went off on their own. He had no idea when Noct had arrived next to him.

"Oh, hey," Prompto said with a slightly embarrassed grin.

"Long weekend?" Noct asked, dropping his books to his side and leaning slightly against the wall of lockers. He always preferred to carry his books, despite having a perfectly capable bag on his shoulder. Made no sense.

"Not as long as yours, I imagine," Prompto said, turning his attention back to the locker contents.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Noct replied, a little exasperated and clearly referring to his never-ending prince duties. After a moment he added, "If you stayed up late playing Dead Alive without me, you're dead. I told you not to beat it without me."

"Nah, I didn't get much gaming in," Prompto explained, giving the locker one more go-over before closing it. He zipped his bag and slung it across his back.

"What'd you end up doing?"

"Ah, not much," Prompto found himself saying. "Ran, did some homework, slept...It's kind of a wonder I'm awake and functioning today after so much excitement," he added sarcastically.

Noct snorted faintly as they turned to make their way down the hall.

 _That was weird. Why didn't I tell him about the dance?_ Prompto wasn't sure if he was afraid of inadvertently hurting Noct's feelings, or if he was worried Noct would give him crap for going to something they both considered very lame. But either way, he just hadn't mentioned it before he'd even decided he wasn't going to mention it, and now he couldn't decide if he should feel like an a-hole or not.

Man, the Dance Dil-Emma really had confused the crap out of him, hadn't it?

Speaking of which, they were about half-way down the hall when Prompto was suddenly brought about by a hand on his arm and a loud exclamation of his name.

"Hi, Prompto!" Someone said, as they whirled him about. He was certain he was about to come face to face with Emma once more, when he felt something shoved onto his head.

"I hope you don't mind," she said, adjusting a beanie over his hair, "but Lena didn't get to see your look at the dance, and I told her she was totally missing out, and I just happened to have a similar hat—"

The rest was lost on Prompto as he attempted to jerk away in surprise, but she had already grasped his collar and was fumbling with his buttons.

What in the hell?

He felt his shirt tugged and he was pushed upright again, and there indeed was Emma, beaming that one-dimpled smile at him as if she hadn't just practically assaulted him, and glancing back at her girlfriends.

"I mean, right?!" She said to them, as one of them—snapped a photo?

What the hell was going on?!

"Oh my gosh, you were so right," one of the girls said, as they giggled to each other and turned to continue on their way to class.

Emma quickly reached up to sweep his bangs out of his eyes and said, "You should wear that today," before flashing another grin and turning to hurry and catch up to her friends.

Prompto just stood there, once again completely at a loss and gaping.

What...the...hell...was...tha—

A small clearing of the throat drew his attention back to Noct...who was standing there with the faintest hint of a smirk, his brows raised as questioningly as possible.

Prompto was still wide-eyed as he gave Noct the smallest shrug of his shoulders and shake of his head. As if to say, _Dude, I have no effing clue..._

"Dance, huh?" Noct asked, his amused smirk solidifying.

Prompto forced his legs to move, still too bewildered to walk properly, as he resumed their route to class. "Dude, my mom completely guilted me into going," he explained.

"Mm hm," Noct said, the amused grin still plastered to his face.

"I was going to tell you..." he further explained, readjusting his bag unnecessarily.

"Uh huh," Noct replied.

"...But I just _knew_ you'd be giving me that shit-eating grin all day." Prompto's accusation garnered a laugh from Noct.

"Better get used to it," Noct said, still grinning. "Because you've got a lot to fill me in on, from the looks of it." He eyed the beanie.

Prompto yanked the hat off, shaking his hair out.

"Hey, she told you to wear it," Noct teased.

"Is it just me, or are girls the most confusing, cryptic, crazy—"

The rest of his rant was drowned out by the bell as he and Noct made their way to their seats.

Gosh dang it but it was going to be impossible to pay attention in class today. What did it all _mean?_

Had she been serious? He glanced around. Did these kids really not see him as the chubby dork anymore? Did they actually see him as the sole person worthy of the prince's friendship? Did they really think he thought he was better than everyone else because of it?

It was just...straight up bonkers, is what it was. Had he accidentally and unknowingly stepped through an unseen portal on his way to the dance and into an alternate reality? Could it be a legit possibility?

_Lol, yep, you are so still a dork._

His eyes fell upon Noct, who was looking back at him. He mimed pulling an imaginary beanie over his head and sweeping imaginary bangs out of the way. And then offered a thumbs up.

Prompto just stared at him, unamused.

That infuriating smirk pulled at Noct's mouth again.

Prompto seriously felt like he was in an alternate reality. Noct being goofy and teasing him? Girls not only looking at him, but dare he suggest, _flirting_ with him? Is that really what they were doing? No, they had to be making fun of him in some way. There was no other explanation. He just wished he could understand the joke.

And call him crazy, but he was pretty certain that group of giggling girls had barely even glanced in the prince's direction earlier. What was going on with the world?

Alternate reality, for sure, he concluded. And then idly wondered if his video game save files would still be valid in this reality.

 _Yep, such a dork_ , he told himself for the eightieth time that day. But dork, he knew how to be. Dork, he was comfortable with.

Maybe his mom was right. Maybe some big changes would be coming after graduation.

He glanced back at Noct once more, who was now skimming through the textbook in front of him.

He felt that familiar prickle of anxiety creeping in. What were their plans for the prince after graduation? _Would_ they be sending him away for college? Would they make him a full time member of the council right away? Would they ever get to beat Dead Alive together?

The anxiety shortened his breathing slightly, and Prompto immediately brought his attention back to the front of the class. _Thoughts for another day,_ he reminded himself. _Thoughts for another day._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! I randomly had a whim of really missing these characters and decided to write up this completely random chapter. So, I'm kind of, sort of back and I'm really excited about it! This chapter was inspired by Prompto's adorable beanie in his DLC, and also because I'm convinced Prompto has some extremely warped perceptions of himself, and that most of his self-esteem issues are a result of those unfortunate misconceptions

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter summaries:  
> Chapter 1....Noct discovers he's the least "experienced" of the group; can't believe Prompto never pointed that fact out.  
> Chapter 2....Noct refuses to get up in the morning; suffers ticklish consequences.  
> Chapter 3....Prompto comforts a distraught and lonely Noct in Altissia.  
> Chapter 4....Prompto reads about Noct's engagement in the news; Ignis gets distracted and lets Noct drink too much.  
> Chapter 5....Noct and Prompto team up to prank Ignis while fishing. Ignis is not amused.  
> Chapter 6....Prompto braves a school dance alone, trying to get a feel for his identity without Noct. Wears a cute beanie.


End file.
